Joseph Howse Sweeps Multiple Categories at the 2026 NYC Big Book Award®!

Author Joseph Howse has achieved major acclaim at the 2026 NYC Big Book Award, securing victories and top distinctions across multiple categories for his literary Next Year’s Snow series.

Howse’s latest novel, The Circus and the Atom, the second installment in his acclaimed Next Year’s Snow series, was named category winner in both World Literature and Audiobook-Fiction. Highlighting the title's visual design, the book was also recognized as a Distinguished Favorite for Book Cover Design – Fiction.

Adding to the celebration, both Howse's audiobooks won in Audiobook-Fiction. Howse's first title, The Girl in the Water, earned the prestigious title of Distinguished Favorite in Audiobook-Fiction, while his current title, The Circus and the Atom, took first place and was crowned the winner. Both audiobooks were narrated by Annette Chown.

"To have The Circus and the Atom recognized so broadly, from its core text to the audio performance and visual design, is a huge honor," said Awards Sponsor Gabby Olczak. "Seeing both of these audiobooks celebrated with Annette Chown's brilliant narration must make this recognition especially rewarding for Mr. Howse."

Both of Howse's titles have been critically acclaimed. This year, Printed Word Reviews wrote "The Circus and the Atom is a riveting and deeply resonant work of historical fiction that trades the sprawling landscape of its predecessor for the claustrophobic tension of a single, pivotal moment in time. Set in Kiev on the eve of 1989, Joseph Howse utilizes the dying days of the Soviet Union to construct a high-stakes, character-driven drama infused with a palpable sense of political noir."

In addition, Printed Word Reviews wrote earlier that Howse's first work “The Girl in the Water is a deeply moving and meticulously crafted work of literary fiction that takes readers into the often-unseen domestic world of the Soviet Union in the 1980s."

NYC Big Book Award received book submissions worldwide. Attorneys, Doctors, Entrepreneurs, Film & Television writers, Historians, and Journalists, from well established authors to first time indie authors as well as small and large presses participated.

Entries this year were received from the United States as well as countries such as Australia, Canada, China, Dubai, England, Estonia, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, New Zealand, Scotland, Singapore, South Korea United, Sweden, Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom. Cities represented among the entries were Auckland, Baltimore, Dallas, Frankfurt, Hollywood, Johannesburg, Manhattan Beach, New Orleans, NYC, Philadelphia, Sydney, and West Palm Beach.

Publishers included Beacon Press, Berrett-Koehler, Casemate, Edinburgh University Press, Forbes Books, Kiplinger Books, NYU Press, Palgrave Macmillan, Penguin Random House, Rizzoli, Routledge, The White House Historical Association, University of California Press, University of Nebraska Press, Weaving Influence Press, and Wiley.

"We have an amazing list of authors from around the globe participating this year," said awards sponsor Gabby Olczak. "I’m so excited to share these books with a worldwide readership!"

To view the list of NYC Big Book winners and distinguished favorites, please visit: https://www.nycbigbookaward.com/

The Circus and the Atom and The Girl in the Water are available in print, digital, and audiobook formats at major booksellers worldwide.